


A Civil Answer

by chase_acow



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Civil War fix it, Whumped Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-02 01:47:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13307814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chase_acow/pseuds/chase_acow
Summary: Tony had never looked away from a hard thing. He fixed them, but he had to know what was wrong first. The picture was grainy, black and white, one of those hackney affairs a county deputy put up for a speed trap. He’d seen the accident a hundred times, technicolor in his dreams, loud enough to drown out his sobs, and painful enough that he’d lived with and ache in his chest long before the arc reactor.





	A Civil Answer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [justanotherpipedream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanotherpipedream/gifts).



Tony had never looked away from a hard thing. He fixed them, but he had to know what was wrong first. The picture was grainy, black and white, one of those hackney affairs a county deputy put up for a speed trap. He’d seen the accident a hundred times, technicolor in his dreams, loud enough to drown out his sobs, and painful enough that he’d lived with and ache in his chest long before the arc reactor. 

Reality was slightly anticlimactic.

Guilt at that thought rushed up instantly, choking him, and it was a good thing he couldn’t remember when he’d eaten because it wouldn’t stay down.

“Tony, don’t do anything rash. Tony? Are you listening to me?”

“I’m listening, Cap,” Tony said, dragging his eyes away as the video looped. In his helmet, he pulled his HUD up, tracking both men. Steve stood, defensive, but Barnes kept his rifle low, looking like he’d sooner eat it than spend another moment avoiding Tony. “Do you consider murder rash?”

Before either of them could react, Tony stepped forward and out of the suit. He wasn’t going to hide from this.

“Tony-”

“Hey buddy, keep Cap busy, would you?” Tony commanded with a gesture over his shoulder. He walked toward Barnes who matched him with backward steps while his suit took aim at Steve, keeping him from getting in the way. Eventually, Barnes hit one of the tanks and stopped, an abused dog ready to take his next beating.

“You killed them,” Tony said, proud his voice could still sound so unaffected. He’d spent so long perfecting it, making sure no one would ever know if they managed to land a lucky. “He was your friend.”

Barnes flinched as the suit picked Steve up and smashed through a wall. “I did,” he said, barely audible over the racket of Steve fighting back. “He was.”

The suit wouldn’t do any lasting damage, set to nonlethal, but it would take time for Steve to bypass. Tony took a deep breath, setting an ache bouncing between his ribs every other bruise. His anger drained away; it happened so long ago while so fresh in his mind, but the man in front of him wasn’t the same man in the video. He needed to make sure Barnes didn’t want to be the man in the video.

“You’re a murderer.”

Finally Barnes looked up, looked Tony in the eye, and answered, “I am.”

He was so tired, couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept more than three hours without a nightmare waking him with all the subtlety of a hulk rampage. “Then do it again,” Tony said, using the surprise of his words to knock away the rifle barrel. He pressed his advantage and grabbed the metal arm, bringing the hand up to his throat. “Go ahead.”

“Wh-what?” Barnes stuttered, dropping the weapon as he tried to take his hand back without jerking Tony too.

“Kill me,” Tony said pressing forward until he could feel each finger joint. “This solves your problems. Zemo takes the blame for my death, Steve does his boy scout routine and the accords go away. You’re the hero, you’re free. No more pesky relatives of your most famous wet work running around making things difficult.”

Repulsor blasts echoed, mixing with Steve’s grunts and the unmistakable sounds of that damn shield ricocheting. Barnes flexed his fingers once, and Tony closed his eyes, a brief wish Barnes might take him up on the offer. He’d done enough, more than enough. Between them, he and Steve had destroyed any chance for the Avengers initiative to survive. What else did he have, if not that team?

“No, I won’t,” Barnes said, letting his arm go limp in Tony’s grasp. Tony struggled with the weight for only a moment before he gave up. “You look like him, you know. Like Howard. I thought he must be the smartest man alive. He turned so many ideas into reality, knew so many people, did amazing things. He was my friend, and he wasn’t the only one I killed. You do what you need to do.”

Tony opened his eyes at the gentle touch to his cheek. Barnes was close to him, looking at him for the first time since he fired his weapon at point blank range to Tony’s face. Now his fingers, warm despite the cold gloom, pressed gently tracing Tony’s bruises and the lines worn into his face by time, stress, and alcohol.

“The first thing I need to do, is figure out how to deprogram you,” Tony said, resisting the urge to lean into the touch. It didn’t mean anything, only a simple human condition that begged for regular skin to skin contact. It didn’t mean that Barnes’ big blue eyes were getting to him.

Those eyes crinkled as the words sunk in, and the widen abruptly as he grabbed Tony and twisted them around. A second later, Steve went skidding by on his face. 

“I- What? What is happening right now?” Steve asked, sitting up to stare at them with his shield clutched to his chest.

Barnes let Tony go, his hand lingering. “I think we’re making friends, Stevie,” he said, helping Steve up.

“Jesus, Rogers! What the hell did you do to my suit?” Tony started poking at the exposed wiring as it limped near. It was a total loss. “Stand down, buddy.”

Steve grinned, looking more like his old self than he had since Sokovia, even with the blood drying down his chin. “Let’s get out of here, I’m starving,” he said, clapping Barnes on the shoulder like the oxman he was and then much lighter on Tony’s back.

“You’re a bottomless trash compactor,” Barnes said, waiting for Tony before he took up a position guarding their backs.

“Sorry, Cap,” Tony said, wincing as he knew he would get an earful, and probably a second black eye from Barton. He owed them all apologies. “We’re going to have to make a stop first.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! May 2018 be the best year yet.


End file.
